Before There Was Jim
1. Charles G. Neubauer and Augusta E. Neubauer (Grens) were both born in Germany and emigrated to the USA. Augusta particularly enjoyed baking bread, while Charles’s speciality was dandelion wine.
2. Charles and Augusta had four daughters: Mildred,, Hertha, Lydia, and Eleanor. They welcomed Mildred Neubauer (Jim’s mother) into the world on January 19, 1907, in Chicago, Illinois. Pictured here is Augusta holding a baby, though the child’s identity is not known.
3. Mildred
4. Mildred
5. A glamorous Mildred.
6. Mildred in a row boat.
7. Mildred
8. A formal portrait of Mildred.
9. Three of the Neubauer sisters (L to R) Hertha (Kuehn), Lydia (Kurth), and Mildred (Neumann). Sister Eleanor (Desmidtt) is not pictured. Notice the very rare round screen Zenith TV. Zenith began in Chicago in 1918. Now we switch from Jim’s maternal side to the story of his paternal ancestors.
10. Greater family research has been conducted into the paternal side of Jim’s family—the Neumanns. Though culturally from Wuerttemberg or Pomerania, Germany, Jim’s father and his family did not emigrate directly from German to the USA. Around 1801, Jim’s paternal ancestors found work east of Germany in Russian-controlled Poland. It was here that Jim’s paternal grandparents were born. Pauline Kunkel was born on May 22, 1860, in Feliksow, near Gostynin, Poland (#1 above). John Martin Neumann was born on September 28, 1860, in Kurnedz, Poland (#2 above)..
11. Both the Kunkels (#1) and Neumanns (#2) were largely farming families who likely migrated further east to the “wooded world” of Volhynia, in northwestern Ukraine, looking for new forests to clear in order to plant crops. After both Pauline’s and John’s families migrated to Volhynia (combined #1 and #2 circle at right). John and Pauline—both nearly 22 years old.—met here and were married in the Lutheran church in Rozyszcze on February 2, 1882.
John Martin Neumann, Jim’s paternal grandfather, in his later years.
12. In Volhynia, John worked in the bogs cutting peat for fuel and in the forest making wooden shingles for roofs. Ironically, John and Pauline lived in a house of “interlocking boards with a thatched roof.” They had nine sons., of which Adolph (Jim’s father) was the ninth—born on November 19, 1904, probably in “Kiselowka” (or similarly spelled names, most commonly a village in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine). Oral family history suggests Pauline may have had two other children that miscarried or were still-born. By 1911, John and Pauline, both 51 years old, found their family surrounded by political upheaval and decided to emigrate to America.
13. The voyage of only 6 of the 11 family members is known. John, Martin, and Emil departed from Libau, Latvia aboard the SS Birma and arrived in the Port of New York on August 30, 1911. From there they entered Ontario, Canada, and then finally settled in Chicago, Illinois on December 31, 1911. Roughly a year later, on October 31, 1912, Pauline, Karl, and Adolph (8 years old) departed from Rotterdam, Netherlands aboard the SS Volturno and arrived in Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on November 11, 1912. They then joined the rest of the family in Chicago, Illinois. This is the Naturalization form for Pauline and Adolph dated May 27, 1920, 8 years following their arrival. The family lived at 2632 Cortez St in 1920.
14. Russian-controlled Poland or Volhynia (Ukraine) were both within the Russian Empire. Nevertheless, when arriving in America, some families listed their country of origin as Poland, while others listed Russia. Whether living in “Poland” or “Ukraine,” these ancestors primarily spoke German, rarely learned Russian, and possessed a distinctly German identity. Above are Emilie, Johnny, John Martin (Jim’s paternal grandfather), Edward Sr., and Albert Neumann in an unknown house in Chicago.
15. John Martin (Jim’s paternal grandfather), Adolph (Jim’s father aged 10), Martin, Pauline, (Jim’s paternal grandmother), Emil, Adelheid, Edward Jr. (infant), and Edward Sr. Neumann in 1914, several years after arriving in Chicago.
16. Photo 15 is the only known photo of a young Adolph. These may be out of chronological order, but they show Adolph as a young man.
17. Adolph
Tabor Lutheran Church, 3542 W Sunnyside Ave, Chicago, IL. The first residence behind the right side of the church is 4512 Drake Ave.
18. John and Pauline lived at 2632 Cortez Street. John was a very serious person. He was proud of his lawn and, with the soul of a cantankerous old man, yelled at the neighbor boys when they played on it. He read his German Bible each morning and did a lot of “preaching” to the family. He read the German paper Abendpost and freely shared his opinions on world affairs. He never drove a car. He was a watchman (security guard) for a shoe company and later a porter at a tailor shop. Pauline was known for her sausage, soup, coffee cake, pączki (Polish pastries), white bread, and stollen (German Christmas bread).
When their son Edward moved to 4852 N Kenneth Ave, near Tabor Lutheran Church and School (above), John and Pauline moved into the upstairs apartment.
19. Both the Neubauer and Neumann families attended Tabor Lutheran Church. From this we can safely presume that Adolph and Mildred met at the church.
20. A very dapper Adolph
21. Mildred and Adolph, young and in love!
22. Mildred and Adolph
23. Mildred and Adolph
24. Mildred and Adolph, perhaps on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan.
25. Adolph and Mildred were married on May 7, 1927, at Tabor Lutheran Church. The address listed here is the residence adjacent to the church, as mentioned in Photo 18.
26. Adolph and Mildred initially lived upstairs at the home of Charles and Augusta Neubauer (Mildred’s parents) on Karlov Ave in Chicago.
27. Mildred at roughly the same place where the photo of Jean in Photo 33 was taken
28. When the doctor was delayed by winter weather, Mildred gave birth to her and Adolph’s first child: Jean (Simpson) on February 24, 1928. Mildred’s sister Lydia assisted her with the delivery. Unsurprisingly, Lydia became Jean’s favorite aunt. This was while Adolph and Mildred lived in the upstairs half of the Neubauer house. Adolph and Mildred holding baby Jean. Jim would not be born for 12 years.
29. A young Jean and Bob playing in the yard several years before their young brother Jim was to be born. The house is unknown, though it will be seen again in photos once their little brother Jimmy comes along.
30. Adolph (left) and his father John (middle) in Chicago. The person on the right is possibly Adolph’s older brother Martin. This house with the shingle siding and stone base with basement windows is seen in multiple photos over many years, so it must have belonged to a family that lived there for an extended period..
31. The happy couple.
32. Bob was born 11 years before Jim. This photo was taken sometime in the period around when Jim was born. A latter photo of Jim was taken on this same spot; however, the doors are not identical, so the photos were not likely to have been taken at the same time.
33. Jean was born 12 years before Jim. This photo was taken sometime in the period around when Jim was born. This is perhaps Jean in her confirmation dress seen in the next chapter. If so, Jim may have been 2 years old. Early images with Jim holding hands with Mildred were likely taken very near where these photos were taken.
